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Sports Illustrated senior writer John Garrity was a 42-year-old eight handicapper when he suddenly lost his swing. Since December 1989 he has been looking for it -- a modern-day Odysseus adrift on the troubled waters of swing theory. As Garrity travels the world reporting on golf, he visits as many driving ranges as he can, avoiding the dreaded "mats only" ranges that prevent him from teeing it up. Sunday, October 29 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Paul M. of Troy, Mich., has caught me sleeping at my desk. "You need to write more often," he chides in an e-mail. "This one article every two weeks is not enough to satisfy my habits." Actually, Paul, I file a Mats Only column about once every nine days. But it's true, I don't contribute to CNNSI.com as punctually as some of my Sports Illustrated colleagues. The sad fact is, it's hard to find time between my assignments at SI, my screenwriting, my international relief work, my consulting on the Human Genome Project, and the mountain sculpture I am finishing in the Andes. Paul goes on to say, "Though I am only 17 years of age, I have developed a 'hacker's obsession.' Not only do I play golf as much as I can, but I devour golf-related books and articles at amazing speeds. Do you have any favorite golf humor or instruction books that you would recommend?" Do I ever! My favorite golf book of all time is Rex Lardner's Out of the Bunker and Into the Trees. Published by Bobbs-Merrill in 1960, Lardner's masterpiece promotes "the secret of High-Tension Golf." To quote from the flap copy: "Now, for the first time, this unique stylist, who hits his best shots when in a towering rage, reveals how the average golfer can cut from 20 to 60 strokes off his score IN FOUR AND A HALF MINUTES if he reads fast enough." The book has been out of print for decades, but your local antiquarian book dealer can probably find a copy. You might also try amazon.com or some other out-of-print book source on the Web. Paul M. is not the only Mats Only reader with a literary bent. "I am an ex-11 handicapper playing to a 20 but unwilling to submit scores," writes Paul "Pull-Hooking Fool" Oliver of Houston. "I am currently reading a book called Search for the Perfect Swing, which is pretty interesting. I also recommend the recently published The Fine Green Line. Based on your column, I believe you would enjoy it. My question: How do you manage to keep instruction coordinated when you are getting tips from different teachers, each with different methods?" Good question, Paul No. 2. As I explained in a recent column, I currently have two golf teachers and two golf swings. One of the teachers, Brian Mogg, teaches at the David Leadbetter Academy in Orlando. The other, Rob Stanger, works for Troon Golf and teaches on the West Coast. I see each swing coach about twice a year, and when I go to either man for a lesson I use that man's swing for as long as he's watching me. The tricky part is keeping secret that I am seeing another guru. I check to make sure I don't have a Leadbetter or Troon tag dangling from my bag, and I'm careful not to hit a Stanger wedge in front of Brian or a Mogg 3-wood in front of Rob. When I actually play golf, of course, I use a third swing -- a hybrid that is 1/3 Jim Furyk, 1/3 Clint Eastwood and 1/3 whomever I'm playing with that day. Mr. Oliver adds a postscript: "I mainly wanted to thank you for your writing. I was once a loyal SI subscriber who lost interest and cancelled my subscription. Several years ago I resubscribed because of the magazine's tremendous Golf Plus section. Tell your comrades, "Well done"; even the skinny little weasel occasionally writes something interesting (you know to whom I refer)." Several more readers have offered help with my greenside-bunker problem, although they got in too late to win the contest. (Your books are on the way, Adam Ryan of Chicago! ) The bluntest of my would-be saviors is Matt Wendling of San Jose, who writes, "Why are you spending so much time trying to fix your sand problem? How often do you end up in a trap, once or twice a round? If you were to become extremely proficient at sand play you might save one or two strokes. My suggestion is to quit practicing sand shots and work on putting instead." Matt's logic is sound and his advice solid. But his premise is flawed. I land in greenside bunkers three or four times a round, and I don't lose just a stroke or two -- I lose about five, because I either blade the ball into the barranca or chunk it into the chickweed. As far as putting is concerned, I'm way ahead of him -- I practiced that in March. Finally, Mickey Boland of Harlingen, Texas, writes, "I empathize with you, John. My golf game has seen more ups and downs than a pack yak in the Himalayas. It's currently on a downslide, as my handicap has risen from three to eight over the last two years." Mickey's letter caught my eye because he can date his difficulties to some specific golf instruction in his past. He writes, "Much as you can trace your downfall to that lesson at Rancho Mirage in 1989, I can trace mine to a series of lessons from a well-known PGA Tour pro who took up residence at my club in the '70s. He decided to take me under his wing and make me great. (I say this assuming he wasn't taking me under his wing to screw me up, which is what happened.) His teaching centered around one move -- driving the knees to the target. We practiced this for hours, as my game slowly devolved. At the time I was too flattered by the attention to see what was happening." Mickey still struggles with the "remnants" of those lessons from the tour pro, and he celebrates now when he breaks 80. "But I've been spending a lot of time on the range lately, and I think I've got it figured out. I just need to drive those knees a little harder." Thanks for the letters, everyone. Mats Only will return in eight or 10 days, when I, uh, finish my novel.
Watch this space for another installment of Mats Only. To send John Garrity advice, share your experiences, or suggest a driving range, click here.
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